


Don't Hug Me, I Have Anxiety

by Madoshi_Hikari



Category: Don't Hug Me I'm Scared (Webseries), Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: "don't hug me i'm scared" -virgil, Alternate Realities, Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, But first, Gen, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Sort Of, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Imagination, The Love Cult, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, child Yellow Guy, does it count as Character Death if they come back to life?, feel free to send them questions tho, genderfluid Red Guy, glitching, he asked for it, human versions, listen shrignold SUCKS, mild crack, or at least one chapter is, the creativitwins just wanted to give everyone a gift, this be a mess, well later anyway, you fucking heard me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25243693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madoshi_Hikari/pseuds/Madoshi_Hikari
Summary: "Don't hug me, I'm scared,"- Virgil, Learning New Things About OurselvesVirgil, last he remembered, sung a song as a sock puppet to help Thomas.So why the hell is he on the set of a show he watched two years ago?
Relationships: Thomas Sanders & The Sides, Virgil Sanders & Duck Guy, Virgil Sanders & Red Guy, Virgil Sanders & Yellow Guy
Comments: 9
Kudos: 38





	1. Prologue: Welcome

Virgil groaned as he sat up. Where was he…? This didn’t feel like the mindscape…

_Let’s see, last thing I remember, we recorded that episode where we all turned into puppets… what was Thomas going to call it again…?_

Suddenly, he noticed something – his puppet transformation seemed to still be affecting his real form. His skin was made of felt and his hair was a mess of brown and dark purple strings as well as one of the purple plaid patches of his hoodie sewn on. Virgil was willing to bet he had a green and purple eye with wacky respective pupils, too.

_What the hell…?_

Finally looking around, he appeared to be sitting on the carpeted floor of a faintly familiar living room. Splayed around him were three others.

Said three others, combined with the felt calendar displaying a _certain_ date and the very familiarly colored clock made it click just _where_ he was.

Which didn’t explain _how_ he’d gotten into the world of Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, but here he was.

“I swear, if this is Remus’ idea of a prank…” Virgil muttered, though he didn’t convince himself in the slightest.

For one, the Duke barely had any power over the Imagination since the Sanders Sides series had started and Roman got most of the creative control.

For another, this felt neither like the previously mentioned mindscape nor the Imagination.

In fact, it felt like Reality but… with an undercurrent of the feeling his room gave off. And softer, somehow?

Which made sense, considering this entire world looked like someone’s intensive Arts and Crafts project.

A low groan caused Virgil to freeze.

_Oh god, the Students are waking up._

_Wait. Does this mean I’m a Student now, too?_

_Fuck, please no._

“Ugh… What the…?” Red Guy mumbled as he, too, sat up into and upright position. “Wha – Doi, Robin?!”

_What now._

They had names? Since when did they have names?

“And, wait – who are you?”

_Fuck._

“Um… Virgil,” the purple-white puppet hedged. _Annnd I sound like I’m fifteen again._ _Fantastic_ _._

“Harry. Do you know where we are?”

“Not a single clue, except that it looks like a TV show I used to watch,” he admitted. “Last I remember, I was helping my … brother with a video. Then I woke up here.”

“You hesitated on brother.”

“Er,” Virgil fiddled with a string of his hoodie. “It’s a bit complicated. And not important to our current situation.”

“If you say so. Help me wake up Robin and Doi, alright?” Harry asked him.

Cautiously, Virgil prodded Yellow Guy – Doi, probably, what with the D on his overall – who looked a lot more like a vaguely yellowish child with a mop of blue hair than the creepy puppet from the old videos. Much like Virgil, though, his skin still felt like… well, felt.

_Clearly, something about this place is different from the actual videos._

_Which is probably a good thing._

Doi mumbled something incoherent when Virgil prodded him again, the kid rolling over onto his side.

Meanwhile, a surprised squawk meant Robin – Duck Guy – had likely joined them in the land of the living.

Virgil, fed up, shoved Doi a bit, which finally caused the yellowish child to wake up. “Wha – huh? Guys? Where are we…? Where’s Dad?”

_Oh_ fuck _, Roy. God, I hope he doesn’t take exception to me showing up._

“No clue, kiddo. But we’re not the only ones who got trapped here – this guy, too,” Harry answered.

“Oh, Miss Harriet! Or is it Mister Harry right now?”

_This place is weird._

“Harry, at the moment. Robin, you alright?”

The anthropomorphic duck looked a bit weirded out. “This… looks like the house I grew up in. Maybe it’s just this room, but… urgh. I don’t like it.”

“… I’m hungry,” Doi quietly mumbled.

“Oh, right… we don’t know how long it’s been since any of us ate. Let’s see if we can’t find the kitchen,” Harry nodded.

_Oh, I really,_ really _hate everything about this._

_How am I even going to get out of here…?_


	2. Creativity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's your favourite idea?

Making and eating breakfast didn’t take long.

Virgil hesitated in the doorway to the dining room (and there was a dining room, what kind of overly fancy hellhole…?) for a full two minutes when he spotted the sketchbook on the table.

_Shit fuck damn it already?!_

“Virgil?” Doi asked from where he’d already sat down.

“Sorry, just… got lost in thought for a moment.”

Hesitantly, he sat down at the fourth chair, grabbing a pear from the fruit basket to nibble on.

“ _What’s your favourite idea?”_

Harry nearly fell off his chair, Robin squawked and Doi was confused.

Virgil had sprung out of his chair and huddled under the table.

“Er… is he okay…?” came the high-pitched voice of the sketchbook.

“ _I do not want anything to do with talking objects thanks,_ ” Virgil managed.

“Aw, c’mon! Um… how about introductions? My name is Paige. My subject is art, or more broadly **Creativity**! And you are?”

“… Virgil Sanders. I have severe anxiety.”

“Oh!” Paige exclaimed. “I’m sorry for startling you, then. Do you feel up for the Lesson?”

_She seems… pretty nice? Maybe this place is different…_

“Um… I can try, sure,” he nodded hesitantly and got back to his seat.

“Well, anyway! What’s your favourite idea? Mine’s being creative!”

“How do you get the idea?” Doi asked, seeming genuinely curious.

“I just try to think creatively – do you know how?”

“Um,” Virgil hesitantly spoke up. “you imagine things differently from how they are?”

“Exactly! Very good, Virgil! Now, do any of you have examples?”

“Cloud watching,” Robin suggested.

“Drawing!” Doi cheered.

“… sleeping? Like, dreams,” Harry added.

“Reading,” Virgil finished the chain.

“Great! You guys are naturals at this,” Paige clapped excitedly. “Now, how about we try some simple creative exercises?”

“Like painting a picture?” Doi asked.

“Whoa, slow down a bit – we’re doing something simple to start with. Painting’s for advanced lessons. How about you draw your favourite colour and something you connect with it, first? Here, I have some coloured pencils!”

_This place really_ is _different!_

Creativity wasn’t really his department, but nonetheless Virgil grabbed the purple and black, drawing a bold **PURPLE** and his spiderweb-pattern headphones underneath, the cable snaking around and through the letters.

“Whoa! That looks really cool!” Doi said as he looked at the purple-white puppet’s drawing. His own was a blocky **GREEN** , several trees dotting the paper.

Harry had drawn a lake underneath his cursive _blue,_ while Robin had some cherries, apples, and strawberries dotted around his Red.

“Not bad at all – though I’m not much of a fan of green,” Paige grumbled a bit. “Either way – the other exercise I brought with me is Making an imaginary object! I have supplies here. Now – let’s get creative!”

Virgil froze when the world suddenly glitched like a faulty video game, vaulting out of his seat into a corner. Paige joined him rather fast when she took in how Harry, Robin, and Doi had… _changed._

_Fuck, fuck, **fuck!**_

“Wh- what’s going on?!” Paige whimpered, pressing closer to Virgil before backing away.

Why was she…?

Oh. He was dripping black stuff everywhere. Virgil stared at his sleeves, which were pouring black. It smelt like oil.

“ _Or you can have a dream about drowning in oil” indeed._

“V-Virgil? Are you still yourself…?”

He nodded mutely, trying and failing to ignore the cake being cut open.

“Uh… do you know what’s…”

“Not really…” he managed, and idly noted his ‘Tempest Tongue’, as Roman had dubbed it, was active.

The three others appeared to be glitching between both forms, now, and looking like they were in pain, too.

“-gah!” Paige cried out suddenly. Virgil whirled to face her, just in time to see the living notebook glitch out of existence.

**Un _4n0w_ _n_** _ 3 _ ~~_ lem _ ~~ **~~ent~~ 3l1** _min4_ ~~_ed_ ~~

At that moment, the trio of puppets let out sharp cries as the table vanished, the … cake … splattering on the tiles as all three stumbled back, looking like their normal selves again.

Virgil checked if he was back to normal too – yep, that’s good – and carefully approached Robin. “Er… you back?”

“Wh- what the _hell_ just happened?!”

The bloody cake glitched out of existence.

“I’d tell you if I had a single clue,” the living embodiment of anxiety murmured, making sure to let his disquiet slip into his tone, as well.

“Where… where did the notebook go?” Harry asked quietly. Doi was… just standing there. Shaking. Robin wandered over and gave the kid a hug.

“Wherever the table and the cake went,” Virgil answered in the same subdued tone, before taking a deep breath.

“Alright,” he began, loudly enough to draw all three’s attention, “how about we go take a nap or something? I don’t know about you, but I want to stop thinking for a while.”

The traffic light trio wholeheartedly agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i originally compiled this in a bunch of text posts  
> I had one for if I decided to bring in remus
> 
> Paige: Green is not a creative colour!  
> Remus: Ex-fucking-cuse you, bitch-  
> Virgil: Rem, no-


	3. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beware The Angst, For It Is Plentiful Here.

The nap was nice until the couch disappeared under him and Virgil fell, hard, on the cobblestone street of what he would broadly assume was Victorian-time London.

As an aside – _shit._

“Oh dear – didn’t notice you over there, chap! Sorry about the rough landing. You alright?” The clock helped to his feet.

“Y-yeah…” Virgil rubbed his head, wincing when he hit a noticeable bump.

“Oh no – are you hurt? Well, I can fix that. Time heals all wounds, after all!” The clock's hands revolved a few times and suddenly, the lump was gone.

“Um, thank you, Sir,” the purple puppet hedged. “I’m Virgil… I’m guessing the others already introduced themselves?”

“That they did! I am Tony. As you may have guessed, I’m responsible for teaching about **Time**!”

Virgil looked around at the various puppets in historical clothing. “… I can see that. How much did I miss?”

“Not much at all, safe for the red fellow’s grumbling about a TV show or some such nonsense. You’re here to learn, after all! Now, follow me! There’s much more to be found in the Time Stream.”

What followed was a hodgepodge mash-up of various times throughout history, including but not limited to Ancient Greece, the first World War, the French Revolution, the Stone Age, and feudal Japan.

Doi, at the back of the group, was looking more fidgety with each journey until finally, in 21st century New York – the 2016 elections, to be precise – he blurted out “Can we travel to the future, too?”

Tony halted. “Hm… I haven’t tried it before. But I don’t see why not, really! This way, chaps!”

‘The Future’ was their house.

June 19th, over and over, no matter how many times Tony tried to take them along the Time Stream.

“ _That’s it,”_ the clock growled.

The clock hands started revolving, first slowly, then faster and faster.

Around him, Doi, Robin, and Harry crashed to the floor as their bodies aged faster with each sunset.

Virgil remained standing.

He was the living embodiment of Anxiety.

Anxiety doesn’t age, doesn’t wither, doesn’t die. Fears and thoughts and paranoia last forever, always finding someone to infect.

And with his Host, his Source, not being trapped in here with him?

_Nothing_ could kill Virgil.

Tony was fixated on the wall calendar, with still hadn’t budged from the nineteenth of June.

“I don’t understand – how is this _possible_? Time can’t just stop-”

“Tony,” Virgil stated calmly, neatly hiding his inner turmoil at what was currently happening. “Time won’t progress here. The Future doesn’t exist.”

The Teacher turned around and staggered against the wall in horror when he finally, finally saw what had happened – what he’d done.

“Wh- what-”

“Happened? Time.”

“But… how are you…?”

“Unaffected? I’m not strictly human. Not really,” Virgil cast his eyes downwards, fiddling with the sleeve of his hoodie. “Can you reverse this?”

The clock shuddered as he took in the decomposed corpses of the other three Students.

“I… I harmed the Students… I’m… Yes. I can reverse this. I will reverse this. All of it. My entire Lesson. I’ll… I’ll fix this, Virgil.”

* * *

Virgil woke up from his nap with the vague feeling he had forgotten something.

… why were they outside?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might have noticed some Implications about Virgil and by that order the other Sides as well.
> 
> Fear not, the AMA chapter is coming soon _:)_


	4. Love is Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shrignold.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: HOMOPHOBIA

“… how did we get outside?” Virgil asked hesitantly.

“I don’t know, but… it’s nice out, don’t you think?” Harry mused, taking in the sunshine filling their clearing. “I wouldn’t mind staying here for a while.”

“I guess,” the Side hedged.

Robin entered the clearing. “Have either of you seen Doi? I can’t find him anywhere… though I did find a picnic basket full of eggs and raw chicken. Not sure what to do about that.”

_Oh, so we’re here already?_

_That’s strange… wasn’t there an episode about Time?_

Nah, he must be thinking of a fan video or something. And even if he wasn’t… shouldn’t Virgil be glad to be spared more nightmares?

“Doi vanished?” Harry asked, all thoughts of relaxing in the sunshine forgotten.

Virgil shook himself from his thoughts and stood up. “We’ll help you look.”

The woods were deceptively big as the three puppets quickly lost track of each other. Virgil didn’t know if it was by chance or part of the script this place still seemed to follow, but he found Doi looking a bit confused at the strangely patterned butterfly floating in front of him.

The boy spotted the brunette teen and lit up. “Virgil! Mr. Shrignold said he’s gonna teach me about **Love**! Do you know about it?”

_Shrignold? And here I thought Janus was stuck with an unfortunate name. Yikes._

“Uh, l-love…? I don’t… really have a lot of experience with it,” he confessed a bit awkwardly.

The butterfly Teacher flitted over to him. “Oh, really? I would have thought with your apparent age would have at least a girlfriend before… well, no matter! Two students are better than one! Please, do follow me!”

What followed was a ride on a very soft cloud and a bit too many people for Virgil’s taste.

And then they started talking about love and it only being between a man and a woman.

“Tell that to Roman, he wants Thomas to propose to every boyfriend he gets…”

The entire gathering seemed to freeze. Doi was the only one who just looked a bit confused.

“Pardon?”

“I keep telling him it’s too soon, and yes they’re all very nice and I can understand wanting to cement the relationship, but if he breaks up with us anyway, Thomas is going to be heartbroken and we all know how _that_ ended last time- why are you staring at me like that?”

“You’re a _queer,_ ” Shrignold sneered.

Oh.

“Food for our King,” the first of the Love Cult started whispering. The others just joined in one by one, the clouds going darker around them, stormy, as the creepy head statue was revealed-

were they holding Doi back from running to him? - they were grabbing him, what the hell-

“ _Food for Our King, Food For Our King…”_

Virgil felt himself being picked up-

## “ _Food for our King…”_

  
  


And he was tossed into the gaping maw of Malcolm.

  
  


~~**CRUNCH** ~~

* * *

“ _Doi, there you are! We’ve been looking for you everywhere!”_

“ _Hey guys! Sorry, I was… running after a butterfly, I think? My memory is a bit fuzzy...”_

“… _okay. That’s… fine. Have you seen Virgil anywhere?”_

“ _Who’s Virgil?”_

* * *

Virgil, after being fed to Malcolm, an experience he wanted to repeat _never_ thanks, found himself... somewhere.

It felt kind of like the Imagination, if the Imagination was located inside his own room.

_That didn't make a lick of sense._

Either way, it looked a bit like the suburbs where Thomas lived, just without the large city attached. At least he was back to normal.

And if this felt like the Imagination, there should be an Exit somewhere, shouldn't there...?

_I wonder if the other three are okay..._

_Fuck._

Right, he got attached easily.

At random, he chose the purple and white striped house a few houses over from the one whose yard he'd woken up in and tested the door. Yep, open.

A tour revealed that the place was pretty much perfect for a temporary hide-out until he found out if the others were okay or an Exit.

(Preferably both, but mostly the former. The house _was_ pretty nice.)

His eyes fell onto the computer. Hm...

He logged in and opened YouTube.

Search: Don't Hug Me I'm Scared

There were the old episodes (and yeah, there was one about Time, what the hell?) and... New versions of the first three.

All of them were animatics featuring his strange appearance in them. Linked in the description was a comic.

_Fuck me gently with a chainsaw, what the fuck._

That was a picture of him, right now, on the PC. His eyes were still heterochromatic. _What the_ fuck _?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! In case it wasn't incredibly obvious- next chapter is the one where you ask the characters things!  
> You don't need to worry about asking questions to further the plot, I already have them, though feel free to provide me with a different way to phrase them.


End file.
